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Charles Leclerc says he tried to shut out social media negativity by avoiding his phone and reminding himself he âdidnât become a bad driverâ, as he worked to regain feeling and balance in his Ferrari SF-26 after a difficult run of form. Leclerc said: "I try not to look at my phone and focus on what is relevant in order to also have the right picture of the situation, because things are said and you go from hero to zero, from zero to hero, in like two days in this sport, and so it can influence the way you see a situation. My job was really to just try and cancel that noise, to not look at anything, to not listen to anything. I know that I didn't become a bad driver from one day to the other. It was just a matter of finding that feeling with the car."
Max Verstappen said Red Bullâs rear wing issue is âsuper dangerousâ after he spun out of the British Grand Prix when it failed to reattach properly after a straight-line mode zone. Verstappen said: "Like Austria, a different fault but the same outcome. So, again, while turning into the corner, the rear wing is not fully attaching and you lose a lot of downforce for that. At that point, it's super dangerous because you can really hurt yourself two times. I was lucky in Austria, I was lucky here, but that's why you get really fed up with it."
Lando Norris says he believes he can âbeat any driverâ, including Max Verstappen, in identical cars amid rumours the four-time world champion is in talks over a move to McLaren for the 2027 season. Norris said: "I certainly think I've improved compared to last year. I also feel like I'm certainly a little bit more of a complete driver. I think we have to just word it carefully [but] I do believe I can beat any driver. What makes Max so incredible is how he is over the course of the season, every single weekend, performing to the level that he does."
Lance Stroll says Spa-Francorchamps is likely to be Aston Martinâs âworst circuitâ of the year, with the team hoping a major upgrade at the Hungarian Grand Prix will bring a step in performance. Stroll said: "We know that Spa's going to be really difficult and probably the worst circuit of the year for us. It should be really difficult for us there, and, hopefully, Budapest is a big uplift in performance."
Liam Lawson said he was left âshakingâ after driving the #2 Ford GT40 that Bruce McLaren took to Le Mans victory, following a last-minute chance to run the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Racing Bulls driver called it âvery, very specialâ and âindescribableâ, adding: âItâs not like anything that we drive currently: the vibration, the frequency, the noise.â Lawson said he had asked to drive it after seeing the car on the day, with the owner agreeing.
Crash.net reports the World Endurance Championship is planning to drop its Qatar and Bahrain rounds because of the ongoing Middle East conflict, replacing them with races in Barcelona and Monza, pending World Motor Sport Council approval in late July. The change has fuelled questions about Formula 1âs year-end run, but Crash.net understands Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain scheduled âat the present timeâ, while Bahrain stays off the calendar for now despite hopes of a 4 October return. One fallback could be Portugal hosting the finale.
Aston Martin chief trackside officer Mike Krack said teams cannot simply react from one Formula 1 race weekend to the next with upgrades, as he defended Aston Martinâs decision not to bring updates every week. Krack said: "You must just not forget one thing; if you bring an upgrade every week, you have to plan this long in advance. You cannot say I was poor in Austria, and I have an upgrade in Silverstone the week after. So this is all following a plan that has taken a long time to do, where you factor everything in â logistics, production, technicalities of the circuit, and all that."
Honda says it will introduce a revised power unit on Aston Martinâs car at the Dutch Grand Prix, with Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer Shintaro Orihara indicating the update is due after âtwo more racesâ. He said: âWe have two more races before we introduce the new engine,â adding that it remains important to keep learning with the current specification, particularly on energy deployment for circuits with long straights such as Monza.
Helmut Marko has declined to say what was discussed in a private meeting with Jos Verstappen and Max Verstappenâs manager Raymond Vermeulen after the British Grand Prix, after a photo of the trio in Amsterdam was posted by De Telegraafâs Erik van Haren. Asked by GPBlog about the get-together, Marko said: âMy visit was private, if that's what you want to ask,â adding: âNo idea. I am not in charge anymore.â
Oscar Piastri says McLaren âclearly seem to struggleâ when conditions are more difficult, after feeling the weather at Silverstone exposed where the team is weak. Piastri said: "I think the conditions [at Silverstone] have definitely exposed where we are weak. We've got some clear areas we want to work on, but at the moment, we clearly seem to struggle when things are a bit more difficult."
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur says Charles Leclercâs British Grand Prix win will âhelp him massivelyâ by boosting his confidence after a difficult run. Vasseur said: "I think the result of today is the best boost of the confidence that he can have at first. As we are developing the car from the beginning of the season, we need to readjust the set-up each time. On top [of that], Charles had a change of brakes a couple of races ago. We [had] to reshape a little bit everything... I think it was more a matter of confidence. And this will help him massively today."
The FIA has confirmed there will be five straight-line mode (SM) zones for this weekendâs Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, the most since the 2026 season opener in Australia. The updated layout includes an SM zone on the downhill run from La Source towards Eau Rouge, but active aero will not be permitted through Eau Rouge/Raidillon itself. Overtake Mode will be available on the start/finish straight.
Toto Wolff says people should not compare Kimi Antonelli to Ayrton Senna, following comparisons after Antonelliâs five wins from the opening nine races of the 2026 season. Wolff said: "Everyone is exalting him. I always ask to keep the balance. We can't compare him to Ayrton Senna, who has won three titles and is one of the most iconic drivers ever. Kimi has won five races, let him grow."
Toto Wolff says Mercedes would still rather have a fast car with reliability problems than a slow but dependable one, but admits the team now needs to âfix some of the reliability gremlinsâ. Wolff said: "I think we are such a performance organisation. On the chassis and engine side, we want to squeeze everything out. I'd rather dial back a little bit something that is really good, and fix some of the reliability gremlins, than run behind performance. So far, we've won six races out of eight? I lost track. And I'd rather have this than slow and reliable."
Liam Lawson says his biggest strength in dealing with social media hate has been building âpsychologicalâ resilience, after receiving online abuse following an incident with Sergio Perez at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. Lawson said: "It's definitely the psychological stuff. I think building resilience to that has been the biggest thing for me... And through all those experiences over the last 12 months, I think now I'm just in a much better position where I honestly don't care."
Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer says speculation that Formula 2 driver Nikola Tsolov is guaranteed a seat with the team next season is âjust rumoursâ, with Bayer pointing to the performances of current drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. Peter Bayer said: "Those are just rumours. He's doing a brilliant job and is a huge talent whom we naturally have on our radar. But we've only had seven races so far, and Liam and Arvid are doing just as brilliant a job. So it's not even on the cards at the moment."
Sergio Perez says joining Cadillac was driven by a desire to prove to himself he is still âone of the bestâ in Formula 1 after a confidence-sapping end to his Red Bull spell. Perez said: "It can be my project as well. I can be part of it and I can show myself that I'm one of the best and I want to do that because I always believe that I'm one of the best on the grid. But obviously, the period at Red Bull takes that confidence from you when you are not delivering and your team-mate is winning and so on. And I always knew what the issues were, but it takes confidence away from you. That's why I wanted to come back."
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